There are several prosperous terrorist groups established by citizens of the United States of America. One of them, which is called the Ku Klux Klan, is well-known in almost every part of the world nowadays due to its nationalistic ideas. The number of people involved in this terrorist group once amounted to six million individuals. The following paper on domestic terrorism is intended to describe the chosen U.S.-based organization of the Ku Klux Klan, discuss its ideology and beliefs, the focus of its attacks, successes of the group, and its current status. The ideology of the Ku Klux Klan to maintain the supremacy of the white race is not acceptable in the modern world because the majority of American residents and politicians accepted the equality of representatives of different nationalities and skin colors.
The Ku Klux Klan Description
As it is mentioned above, the KKK (Ku Klux Klan) is one of the most popular terrorist groups in the entire world. It is considered to be a far-right political organization established in the territory of the United States of America. Members of the Klan defended and promoted the ideas of white supremacy and nationalism (Misiroglu, 2015). It would be proper to mention that the KKK also opposed the ideology of communism in the twentieth century. Moreover, the terrorist group is now associated with such a term as the Lynch law.
The secret society discussed above was established by former soldiers of the Old South after its defeat during the Civil War in 1865. People were warned about every murder committed by members of the KKK beforehand. Usually, such messages were presented in the form of something that was widely-known and associated with death in particular societies. For instance, terrorists from the Klan used oak branches in some states and pumpkin seeds in other regions of the country (Misiroglu, 2015). Once a victim received such a sign, this person had a choice to retract one’s beliefs or leave the USA. However, if the individual ignored this message and did not take any actions to satisfy the KKK, he or she was likely to be killed by members of the terrorist organization.
It would be proper to state that the first Ku Klux Klan was prospering in the territories of the former Confederative States of America in the 1860s. Nevertheless, the community’s existence ended in the 1870s. The second KKK was established in the 1920s. This organization used the popular white costumes developed by the first group to fear people who were under threat of being killed because of their political ideologies (Misiroglu, 2015). The secret society that was found in the twentieth century again started using a new symbol of a burning cross. The third Klan was formed after World War II as a reaction to the movement that defended the rights of various minorities. It is necessary to stress that both the second and third Ku Klux Klans fought for giving certain privileges and supremacy to the descendants of the first citizens of the United States of America who won the independence War (Misiroglu, 2015). All three organizations discussed above are claimed to have committed a tremendous number of murders because of their beliefs. According to Alexander (2014), the second KKK did not practice violence as much as two other Klans did.
Ideology and Beliefs
As it is mentioned in the previous part of the paper, the political ideology of the Ku Klux Klan was based on nationalism and racism (Misiroglu, 2015). Members of the terrorist organization wanted only people with white skin to rule the country. It would be proper to mention that the Civil War influenced the establishment of the discussed group. People from the former Old South had to overcome tremendous changes in their lives due to their restricted rights regarding slavery. The first Klan was formed by six militaries in the state of Tennessee. These people were killing representatives of the Republican Party and other people who supported its ideology.
The Focus of Attacks
Although some scholars claim that the Ku Klux Klan did not support terroristic views at the beginning of its history (instead, they presented a secret society with uncertain goals), the organization developed and was associated with racism (Alexander, 2014). The number of victims was increasing every year because the Klan was prospering and gaining popularity all over the United States of America. It would be proper to mention that members of the KKK created their complicated informational network to commit multiple fires and murders. One operation could involve from ten to five hundred individuals. Their plans and strategies of terrorist acts were sophisticated. Therefore, there were almost no witnesses of cruel executions in the form of hanging, drowning, and crippling (Misiroglu, 2015). Members of the Klan believed that their attacks were justified because they wanted to eliminate the entire movement of individuals who made all the races in the USA equal. By killing, representatives of the KKK wanted only white people to rule the country.
Successes of the Ku Klux Klan
Unfortunately, the terrorist group was successful in confronting the police. It would be proper to mention that governors of many states took various measures to bring the existence of the Klan to an end (Cunningham, 2014). Moreover, the force of the police could not cope with the power of the KKK. As a result, the organizations had great success in the territories of the New South (Cunningham, 2014). Although appropriate laws established by governors were not effective in this fight, the secret society did not exist for an extended period as the federal government started to intervene in its activities.
Current Status of the Group
The Ku Klux Klan exists in the modern world as well. The headquarters of the organization are dislocated in Harrison, Arkansas. A leader of the KKK is a sixty-six years old pastor named Tom Rob, who is claimed to be a national director of the group. Members of this society believe that there will be genocide against the white race. The ideology of the KKK remains the same. Nevertheless, the number of people involved in its activities amounts to approximately five thousand individuals at the moment (Misiroglu, 2015). Moreover, the pastor wants other citizens to treat the Klan as a political party.
Conclusion
The Ku Klux Klan is an organization that was established by soldiers from the Old South after the Civil War. There were three Klans (1865-1870, 1915-1944, 1946-present) in the entire history of the United States of America. However, the second group was the most powerful and prosperous. Members of the KKK killed politicians who did not support their ideology white race’s supremacy. Nowadays, the group holds only five thousand members and does not commit any murders.
References
Alexander, C. C. (2014). The Ku Klux Klan in the Southwest. Lexington, KY: University of Kentucky Press.
Cunningham, D. (2014). Klansville, USA: The rise and fall of the civil rights-era Ku Klux Klan. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press.
Misiroglu, G. R. (2015). American countercultures: An encyclopedia of nonconformists, alternative lifestyles, and radical ideas in U.S. history (2nd ed.). New York, NY: Routledge.